Philip* (London)

 [*not their real names]

Philip, like Emma*, was another case of knowing some Mandarin already before he came to do the full-time degree course, therefore not an absolute beginner.  This was probably why he was a bit casual about his school work.

    He was late on more than one occasion for his 9am class.  When he said he had to go and get an alarm clock, I offered him mine, saying he could have it on long loan until the end of his course, so that he could save on a bit of money.  (I also taught him my method of using my bladder as an alarm clock, which so surprised him he nearly fell off his chair, wondering if he’d misheard me.)

    After a term, like Emma, Philip also started a relationship with someone, so his attention was somewhat diverted from his studies.

    The full-time degree course students at this particular university do their Year Abroad in Year 3.  I was the invigilator for one of the Year 2 modules Philip was sitting the paper for.  

    It was obvious to me, even without walking down the aisle, that Philip was unable to answer the questions on the test paper.  He sat there, trying to look busy, with nothing to write down.  I could see that he was suddenly realising that the chickens were coming home to roost for him, as he looked terrible.

    At one point during the two-hour paper, he got up to go to the loo.  As the invigilator, I had to go with him.  Even from outside the door of the gents, I could hear him throwing up.  This happened again half an hour later.

    At the end of the exam, I took him to another room to have a quiet chat on the side.  His face looked like he was expecting a lecture.  Instead, I said to him, “You should apply for Extenuating Circumstances.  I will back you up, as I was witness to your being sick in the loo.  If your application gets approved, you will be allowed to do a re-sit in August, which will give you time to catch up before then.  If you don’t put in an application, you won’t be able to go on your Year Abroad, which means having to hang around in London for a whole year as there’s no Year 3 for you to join.”

    He’s now a teacher himself — in China.  He wrote in a FaceBook message something to the effect of, “I now try to teach like you.”  I don't think he meant just the Chinese language side of it.